Look at this recent letter on Congress.org

Man I wish I did the footwork and posted this one myself!

Here's a look at the letter. By all means REPOST THIS! Please, if you do repost this, give the writer, listed only by their state at the bottom, full credit by posting this exactly as you see it, without altering it.

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At what point does a Senator become a corporate lackey?

To:
Sen. Arlen Specter

July 15, 2006

Senator, in studying the relationship between money and its influence in the U.S. congress, your situation comes quickly to mind; $960,478 from the Pro-Israel PACs and $380,578 from the oil and gas industry - both huge amounts of money, both issues of current national concern and both of which will no doubt involve early congressional action. One must wonder if any senator taking this much money might find an open mind difficult to come by in legislative matters relating to that particular industry.

You are one of the most powerful and influential men in our congress. Obviously with seniority comes more power and more influence - hence more money? - hence less independence and objectivity? At what point in such a process does a congress member stop representing the American people and become a corporate lackey?

Thinking that this is a matter Americans should become more aware of, following is a list of Senators taking BIG bucks from Pro-Israel PACs - followed by a list of those taking similarly large amounts from the oil ands gas industry (both lists compiled from opensecrets.org):

From Pro-Israel PACs (40 Senators)

Akaka, Daniel (HI) $140,050
Baucus (MT) 425,039
Bayh (IN) 257,196
Bennett (UT) 173,000
Biden (DE) 266,600
Bingaman (NM) 118,000
Boxer (CA) 571,221
Brownback (KS) 218,100
Burns (MT) 250,115
Collins (ME) 94,400
Conrad (ND) 274,300
Dodd (CT) 396,150
Dorgan (ND) 176,619
Durbin (IL) 470,772
Feingold (WI) 357,127
Feinstein (CA) 498,542
Grassley (IA) 247,900
Harkin (IA) 738,805
Inhofe (OK) 112,650
Inouye (HI) 410,465
Kyl (AZ) 306,639
Landrieu (LA) 272,864
Lautenberg (NJ) 401,894
Levin (MI) 1,284,584
Lieberman (CT) 863,888
McCain (AZ) 314,777
McConnell (KY) 678,950
Mikulski (MD) 362,934
Murkowski (AK) 68,850
Murray (WA) 271,793
Nelson (NE) 134,210
Nelson (FL) 179,481
Reed (RI) 215,712
Reid (NV) 400,351
Sarbanes (MD) 219,213
Schumer (NY) 520,550
Shelby (AL) 313,780
Specter (PA) 960,478
Stabenow (MI) 256,966
Wyden (OR) 733,776

From oil and gas: (60 Senators)

Bush, George W. (R - POTUS)
$4,529,926

Alexander, Lamar- (R - TN)
$257,425

Allard, Wayne- (R - CO)
$401,956

Allen, George- (R - VA)
$281,097

Baucus, Max- (D - MT)
$190,498

Bennett, Robert F.- (R - UT)
$195,165

Bingaman, Jeff- (D - NM)
$344,944

Bond, Christopher- (R-MO
$445,760

Brownback, Sam- (R - KS)
$328,424

Bunning, Jim- (R - KY)
$311,456

Burns, Conrad- (R - MT)
$517,361

Burr, Richard- (R - NC)
$319,652

Byrd, Robert C.- (D - WV)
$61,250

Chafee, Lincoln- (R - RI)
$43,975

Coburn, Tom- (R - OK)
$337,862

Cochran, Thad- (R - MS)
$144,650

Coleman, Norm- (R - MN)
$154,600

Collins, Susan M.- (R - ME)
$92,743

Conrad, Kent- (D - ND)
$262,003

Cornyn, John- (R - TX)
$780,225

Craig, Larry E.- (R - ID)
$338,511

Crapo, Mike- (R - ID)
$220,949

DeMint, Jim- (R - SC)
$108,450

DeWine, Mike- (R - OH)
$378,367

Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC)
$172,429

Domenici, Pete V.- (R - NM)
$593,537

Ensign, John- (R - NV)
$374,174

Enzi, Michael B.- (R - WY)
$178,100

Frist, William H.- (R - TN)
$161,500

Gregg, Judd- (R - NH)
$91,405

Hagel, Chuck- (R - NE)
$174,531

Hatch, Orrin G.- (R - UT)
$207,329

Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX)
$1,881,523

Inhofe, James M.- (R - OK)
$847,123

Isakson, Johnny- (R - GA)
$124,314

Kyl, Jon- (R - AZ)
$260,882

Landrieu, Mary L.- (D - LA)
$401,044

Lincoln, Blanche L.- (D - AR)
$246,925

Lott, Trent- (R - MS)
$307,454

Lugar, Richard G.- (R - IN)
$164,375

Martinez, Mel- (R - FL)
$138,437

McCain, John- (R - AZ)
$262,110

McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY)
$433,308

Murkowski, Lisa- (R - AK)
$205,163

Reid, Harry- (D - NV)
$218,536

Roberts, Pat- (R - KS)
$193,800

Salazar, Ken- (D - CO)
$74,250

Santorum, Rick- (R - PA)
$510,818

Sessions, Jeff- (R - AL)
$191,600

Shelby, Richard C.- (R - AL)
$323,298

Smith, Gordon H.- (R - OR)
$256,375

Snowe, Olympia J.- (R - ME)
$112,454

Specter, Arlen- (R - PA)
$380,578

Stevens, Ted- (R - AK)
$371,640

Sununu, John E.- (R - NH)
$169,130

Talent, James M.- (R - MO)
$260,592

Thomas, Craig- (R - WY)
$425,640

Thune, John- (R - SD)
$448,466

Vitter, David- (R - LA)
$431,335

Voinovich, George V.- (R - OH)
$310,132

Warner, John- (R - VA)
$221,398


Term limits, anyone?

Tempe , AZ